Small businessess receive grant to go green

Business development centers in Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, and New York will receive a total of $500,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to help fund energy efficiency projects.

By Consulting Specifying Engineer Staff

12/19/2008

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Business development centers in Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, and New York will receive a total of $500,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to help fund energy efficiency projects. The grants were awarded under the SBA’s Small Business Sustainability Initiative. The initiative funds programs that range from education, information, training, purchasing, and installation of energy efficient building fixtures and equipment. The grant recipients are also expected to use multimedia such as Webcast programs and streaming video for outreach, communication and education.

The Small Business Development Center at Boise State University (BSU) in Idaho uses student teams and interns to assist small businesses. The grant will be used at BSU for an energy audit program conducted by the students. The grant will also be used to offer energy efficiency training by professionals to small businesses.

The Small Business Development Center at the University of Nebraska in Omaha will use the grant to fund energy efficiency screening and to help businesses find financing opportunities for energy efficiency improvements. In addition, the center plans to develop a roadmap to help users discover and navigate energy efficiency and waste reduction resources.

The Small Business Development Center at the University of Nevada in Reno plans to provide energy audits and expand its work with the DOE’s Rebuild America building energy efficiency retrofit program; the Nevada State Office of Energy; Nevada Electric Utilities; Environmental Protection Agency; and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. Additionally, the center plans to offer education about generation renewable energy, constructing high-performance green buildings, and the development and commercialization of clean tech goods and services.

The New York Small Business Development Ce nter at the Research Foundation of the State University of New York in Albany and its partner organizations plan to target small businesses with substantial energy consumption for energy audits. The agencies also intend to provide education and advice about the role efficiency plays in green building, renewables, and improved environmental performance.